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“Yeah, they would do such a thing. They were very good, very good,” Hayden replied.
“I bet you don't think that about Kenneth now, do you? Things went wrong and I wish many times that they didn't.”
“Are you with him on this?” Hayden asked. Austin shook his head.
“I promised that I would not attack you again and I have no desire to do that. None at all. I don't want anything from you. I know that I did…unsavory things to you and I would like to tell you that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done them. Kenneth will do so much worse if we let him.”
“If we let him?” Hayden asked Austin who nodded slowly.
“Yes, but we are not going to. He has been away all this time and he thinks he can just come back and stomp around the way he used to. I don't think that makes any sense, do you?” Austin asked. Hayden seemed to think about it a little.
“I don't know if I can trust you. I mean, you were the one who put my father in prison and Kenneth, no matter what he is, is still your brother. How do I know that you're not just…Working with him and this isn't a plot between the both of you to take me down?”
Austin was silent for a minute then he inclined his head to the side.
“I understand why you would think that and, frankly, I would think the same thing, but it just isn't true. I made you a promise and I have buried the hatchet between the both of us. Haven't you?” He asked. Hayden nodded.
“Then I give you my word that there is no play here. There is no plot. There's nothing. I want this to come to an end. I'll go speak to Kenneth but in the meantime, he'll want to trap you.”
“What do you mean?”
“He'll come up with a lot of bullshit that's targeted at getting what he wants, and he will do it lawfully. He will come with environmental nonsense or the charges against your father. He will come at you with any misstep so don't give him anything to use. Just remain still for now. There is someone I need to speak to after I speak with him,” Austin said.
“You're really…on my side?” Hayden asked.
“I grew up here. Of course, we have our fights and they do have the tendency to be extreme but I'm not letting anyone take it away and build some ugly shit on it like a hotel or ski resort,” he said. Hayden laughed a little.
“Yeah, that would be very ugly,” he muttered.
As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the ranch, the two men rode on, their shared laughter and fond memories weaving a timeless tapestry against the backdrop of the cherished land that bore witness to their shared childhood.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Do you think you can dissuade your brother? Do you think there's a way to get him to stop?” Nicole asked Austin. He leaned against the wall and fiddled with a spoon and when he looked back up at her, he realized that he had not been listening to what she was saying.
“Please, what were you...”
“I mean your brother, Kenneth. Is there no way for you to get him off your back? Talk to him. He grew up on the land. Why would he want to see it gone? That would change a lot for him and for everyone affiliated with the place. Do you think the company wants to just keep it sitting there? They want to build something on it and when they do? I reckon it would be something he would rather not see,” she said.
“Kenneth has always been that way. He would see the world burn if he wanted to get back at someone. There's nothing that I could say that would stop him.”
“He has a daughter now. If there is one thing I know, it is that children change their parents. I know it sounds cheesy but…”
“No, no it doesn't. They do. I have seen it happen many times. Maybe if I…” Austin stood and looked at Nicole with a grin on his face.
“You know you're really smart, don't you?” He asked her then she stuck her nose in the air and waggled her eyebrows.
“I am aware,” she said in a mock British accent, and he laughed then nodded and walked away with his hands stuffed in hispockets. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, but he would tell her when he returned.
†
Kenneth was fishing when he arrived. He was standing by the side of a lake with a smile on his face. Austin walked up to him and looked at the lovely building all the way behind him then sighed.
“I sense a lot of judgment in that sigh. What is this about?”
“Leave Hayden alone, Ken,” Austin said.
“Aw c'mon. What the hell is this? I hoped that you'd come to your senses, but it just seems like it gets worse by the day. Why won't you just…get into this? Why won't you just enjoy it, eh?” He asked.
